Sodden Hollow
by ddp456
Summary: When Wendy and Dipper discover a secluded beachside cavern, the duo decides to explore it, where suddenly, catastrophe strikes. Now, they must rely on each other's lesser talents - Wendy's survivalist cunning, and the little brawn Dipper has - in order to make it out alive. Will they survive? Special thanks to DeadSNESProject88 for the cover and title. Written for Wendip week #2
1. Chapter 1

"C'mon, Dipper! Get a move on!"

*WHEEZE!* "…coming…I'm coming…"

Dipper Pines breathed incredibly heavy as he nipped at his crush's heels. Wendy Corduroy paused for a brief moment, as she flashed a confident grin at her admirer as he lagged behind slightly.

"Going too fast for ya, buddy?"

The exhausted twelve year old stopped and bent down, placing his hands on his knees as he took in gasp after gasp of fresh air. He raised his head to see his sweetheart looking down at him as the seaside air blew her long, gorgeous red hair back in an almost-majestic manner. The sunlight shining down from above them only added to the gleam found in Wendy's emerald-colored eyes.

"No…no way…Wendy…" Dipper fibbed, trying his best not to openly humiliate himself. "I'm just – the sand – the sand's just bogging me down a bit…"

Seeing that her friend was coming along nicely, Wendy returned her sights to the spectacle before them.

"Okay, then."

Taking charge, the ginger threw her arm forward and pointed ahead, "Let's check this bad-boy out!"

* * *

The day had begun with an uninteresting yawn. Dipper and Wendy had become incredibly bored at their shared summer-time job of working at the Mystery Shack tourist trap. As what would often happen in such cases, the partners in crime would slack off from their duties, preferring to goof-off by playing practical jokes and light-hearted pranks amongst the Pines household.

Unfortunately, things were taken a step too far on this particular day, leaving the duo with a Gift Shop of accidentally-damaged souvenirs and collectibles. In an effort to avoid Stan's wrath and have the heat on them die down a bit, Wendy suggested to her cohort that the best course of action would be to take the rest of the afternoon and play hooky.

When Dipper asked where they would go to hide out, Wendy quickly suggested an impromptu trip to a local beach on the Oregon coast. The young detective found himself somewhat surprised by her answer.

"But, why the beach, Wendy?"

"Dude, because it's like a bajillion degrees out!" Wendy explained. "It's the perfect place to cool off, seeing how we can't go back to the pool. And besides, it's the last thing your Uncle would think of to look for us."

"Why do you say that?"

"Think about it for a sec, Dipper. Old people _hate_ the beach! When was the last time you've seen anyone over sixty hanging out there?"

Finding himself unable to counter her claim, Dipper simply shrugged and went along with the high-schooler's plan. In an effort to beat the heat, he left his dark navy blue vest on Wendy's desk as the two snuck out to the back door and onto her trusty red bicycle for a speedy getaway.

Before they went on their journey, Wendy had made a pit-stop at her house for supplies as well as an outfit change of her own. Dipper patiently waited outside, standing guard in front of her bike as he stared out into the green distance, letting his mind wander aimlessly.

A few minutes later, the sound of a door slamming made Dipper spin around. His jaw instantly fell at the sight before him.

Wendy stepped down the staircase of the Corduroy household with a small plaid backpack slung over her left shoulder. Her flannel shirt had been replaced with a plain white tank top showing off her naturally pale-freckled flesh. In lieu of her super-tight blue jeans, Wendy sported a pair of short-cut daisy dukes. Her now-bare feet were in green flip-flops instead of her trademark mud stained boots. The teenager's fluffy trapper hat had been left inside of the cabin.

With her long crimson hair tried back in a massive ponytail, Wendy gave the star-struck boy a confused glare as she adjusted the black-tinted sunglasses mounted on top her crown.

"Um, Dipper?" She asked with concern. "You still with me, here?"

"Huh?!" Dipper awoke from his stupor, as the angelic voice stemming from the almost-serene figure calling out to him. "Oh! Sorry about that. It's just – it's just the heat getting to me, is all…"

"Ah…" Wendy pulled the knapsack across her side and opened the first pocket. She picked out a can of Pitt-Cola and tossed at her co-workers. Dipper flinched and threw out his hands, fumbling the half-frozen beverage until he was finally able to clutch it.

"Bah! Cold-cold-cold!"

"Heheh! That should cool you off until we get down there." Wendy could only laugh at her buddy's frantic mannerisms. As Dipper started to nosily slurp his drink, the fifteen-year-old kept her eyebrow raised as he continued to steal glances at her in between sips. For some reason, it reminded her of the expression that Dipper would give when she dressed in that skimpy red one-piece as they served as lifeguards together.

Wendy hopped on her bike and patted the empty space between the handlebars, "Well, let's get a move on, kiddo! Time's a-wastin'"

Dipper nodded and followed along with Wendy's orders. Finishing his drink, Dipper placed the empty can on the ground, and clutched the bars behind him as the lumberjack princess began to peddle towards their destination. She clicked her tongue and shook her head at her buddy's actions.

"Dude, don't litter in front of my house…"

Dipper looked over his shoulder to see Wendy giving him a sly smile. His face turned red with embarrassment as he returned the favor.

"Oh, um…I'll pick it up when we get back…"

* * *

As promised, Wendy arrived at a nearby beach within a half-hour's time. In spite of its semi-secluded area, the coast had its fair share of small groupings and families, but it was quiet enough to travel through without being noticed.

It was the perfect hideaway for two adolescent workers hoping to escape the long, flabby, and wrinkly arm of the law.

Dipper volunteered to hold Wendy's bag as she chained her bike to the nearest street light post. He took a second to scope out the new surroundings, watching as the sun began to lower itself towards the edge of the water in the vast distance.

"Wow!" The pre-teen marveled in the natural beauty all around him. "This place…is great!"

"Yep…" Wendy prided as she stopped at Dipper's side. "No pollution or trash to be found. Cool, clean crystal clear water all around. Little to no noise to draw attention or ruin our "chill-laxation." Couldn't have picked a better place."

Dipper turned his head towards Wendy, "It's kinda ironic if you think about it. This place is nearly perfect in every way, and yet, vacationers would rather spend their time in tourist traps like the Mystery Shack…"

Wendy nodded, "True, but look at it like this, Dip. It's sorta of a win-win situation. People like Stan win when they get hapless rubes to spend their dough at his shop, and we win by having a large chunk of this place all to ourselves."

"Hmm...Good point."

"Yeah, man." Wendy went on, "Could you imagine if this place was overrun with out of towners? It'd be ruined within a week! Sometimes, it's nice to keep certain things to us locals only."

"Us locals?"

Wendy spun towards her companion, already aware of his concern. The more time that they spent together, the more she was able to second-guess his neurotic anxieties (and hopefully mend them).

She beamed with a sense of reassurance, "Sure, Dip. When you're with me, you're whatever I say you are, and I say you're one of us."

As Wendy guessed, all trances of worry and unease had vanished with her pledge. With the air cleared, they walked in tandem off on the blistering sidewalk and into the milder sands. As they further went, Wendy noticed that Dipper was starting to lose pace. She looked downwards, noting something off with her younger pal.

"Hang on a sec!" The redhead sped in front of the wandering twelve year old. She pointed down towards the soft ground. "What's the deal with those?"

Baffled, Dipper followed Wendy's finger, seeing that she was highlighting his feet. "I…I don't get it, Wendy. What's wrong with my sneakers?"

"That's the thing, Dipper!" She exclaimed. "Dude, you can't – you can't wear sneakers at the beach. It's just – it's like an unspoken rule…"

"But …"

"You just don't do that…"

"…Wendy…"

She grabbed her backpack and rummaged through her belongings, "Here, look…" The girl took a moment more, pulling out an item and presenting it to him. "I have an extra pair of sandals. They might be a bit big on you, but they'll fit the bill nicely…"

"Wait, why do you have an extra set of shoes with you anyways?"

Wendy lifted her shoulders, "It sounds crazy, but every time I go to the beach, I lose my sandals for some reason or another…"

"Hold on. Every single time? Does someone steal them? Like a prank?"

She placed a hand on her hip, "I dunno, Dipper! I don't question every weird thing that happens to you, do I? Just trust me on this, alright, and take 'em?

Dipper chuckled at Wendy's over-exaggeration as he went to move past her, "No thanks, Wendy. I'm not really a sandal per – "

His sentence was cut off as Wendy blocked his path yet again. Her look of concern morphed into one of utter seriousness. Her dark green eyes grew thin and narrow. Her voice became cross as she pressed the shoes against his mid-section.

"Take them off, or _I'll_ take them off for you…"

Dipper gulped loudly as he instantly recognized what was happening. The first time he had seen his crush undergo such a transformation was almost a month ago when he tried to talk his way out of winning her a stuffed creature of indeterminate species at the Mystery Fair.

Regardless of her reasoning, rather it be that the redhead was trying to prevent her buddy from making some sort of beach fashion snafu, or from standing out in the small crowd, when the light-hearted, sometimes goofy, and yet almost-flawlessly cool side of Wendy Corduroy disappeared, and this near-stranger appeared, only one thing was absolute:

 _She was not to be denied._

With a defeated sigh, Dipper took the black flip-flops at his chest and bent down to abide by Wendy's wishes, making the girl lean back and cross her arms victoriously…

"There you go…doesn't that feel much better?"

* * *

Throughout the course of the day, Wendy and Dipper enjoyed all the festivities that their private part of the beach had to offer. Using a blanket that Wendy took from home, the friends soaked in the rays of the sun (with Wendy taking extra care per her more sensitive skin) as the waves lapping in front of them provided a much needed breeze.

Once they were finally cooled off, the young adults enjoyed the small picnic Wendy stashed inside of her knapsack. With their energy replenished, they started to play under the now-setting sun. Jumping feet first in the waves, Dipper and Wendy got into a splashing fight, with their laughter soon filling the once-serene atmosphere. Due to his noodle arms, Dipper had to push extra hard in order to reach his extra-tall mate, while Wendy had to hold back to avoid accidentally drowning her much shorter chum.

After they retreated back towards their camp to dry off, Dipper started to focus his sights on a new activity. Little by little, the overly-intelligent child began to form small castles and buildings amid the surrounding sand. At first, Wendy helped by aiding in gathering large clumps of sand, but as the moments passed, became bored by the activity and when back to lounging on the beach with her shades drooped over her face.

It was only a few moments later when the ginger felt a warming sensation formed over her lanky body. She raised her head to see that Dipper was including her in his structure complex by mischievously burying her in the soft grains. Wendy paid him no heed, choosing to relax in her new entombment, until Dipper impishly threatened her exposed foot bottoms with a seagull's feather that he found nearby.

With that, the vixen rose from the trap, letting out a mighty Amazonian roar instead of the expected case of the giggles, making her former captor shriek in terror. She took a hold of the tiny quaking form before her and playfully body slammed him into the sands. They struggled and wrestled viciously, ending up in a laughing, tangled mess of one another.

*KRAK!*

Dipper's eyes focused on the sky as Wendy got up to grab another item from her bag of goodies. The sun seemed to disappear behind a gathering of grayish clouds.

"Wait…" He looked towards Wendy's direction, "Was that thunder – "

*BOP!*

"Oof!"

Wendy winced as the beach ball bounced off Dipper's forehead, landing in the lapsing tide nearby. He pinched his nose as the teenager hurried towards him, "Sorry about that, Dip. I didn't mean – I thought you were looking at – "

He blinked a few times to become unfazed, "Oh, it's okay. I'm okay. I just thought – " The boy glanced around. "Where did your ball go?"

She peeked over Dipper into the distance. "There!" The cashier pointed out that the multi-colored inflatable ball was being carried down the increasingly speeding tide. The pair quickly reclaimed their sandals and supplies and raced after the missing good as fast as they could.

"Almost there…"

As the sky grew dark, the remaining groups started to make their way home in fear of upcoming rain. As Wendy and Dipper ran past the sandy dunes at the beach's edge, their sights faltered from their original goal as they focused on a new discovery at hand.

"Whoa-ho-ho-a!"

"Nice! Never seen this guy before…"

They had accidentally discovered a sort of seaside cavern. The rocky extension stuck out of the earth like an open wound. A series of different water based greenery grew right outside of the entrance. A small stream, taken from the sea itself, flowed into the mouth of the cave. It served as a part between where the sand would become one with the jagged earth. Dipper walked over to one of the plants and examined it. It was a thick, white hollow reed that reminded him of a bamboo stick.

"How strange…"

Wendy joined in on the examination. "Dude, check this out!"

Dipper turned back to see Wendy on one knee a few feet away. He peered over her shoulder to see what she had spotted. There were thousands of straight lines imprinted on the sand beneath them.

"Weird," the small sleuth noted, "It's like something was scratching at the ground or…"

"Or," Wendy went to suggest, highlighting a new discovery a bit further down, "What if it's tracks?"

"Tracks?"

He followed Wendy's hand to see that the freshly-made prints started to change as they came close to the cave's edge. A flattened part separated the markings, continuing all the way inside of the mouth until the trail vanished upon the rough flooring.

"It's like something was dragged inside…"

"I wonder what could of – "

As if she secretly read his mind, Wendy hopped to her feet and patted him on the back.

"Well, let's go check it out!" She then headed towards the cave's entrance, making sure that her own footprints didn't ruin the tracings.

"Huh?" Dipper was stunned by her quick response. Granted, the thought crossed his mind, but this was way too sudden. They hadn't had time to prepare or plan for contingencies.

"Hang on a sec!" He called out, making Wendy stop in her tracks. "Don't you think we should take a minute or two to plan things out? After all, who knows what's waiting for us in there?"

Wendy twisted around with a devious smirk on her face. Before she even opened her mouth, the cunning youngster already knew exactly what to say to hit her protégé's buttons.

"What? You're not scared, are you?"

"Me?" Dipper's voice rose in pitch. "I'm not scared – I'm not afraid! I just think – "

"Well, I hope not…" Wendy played along. "After all, I thought you were very big on this whole "monster hunting" thing…"

"I am, but…"

"You're like the best at this stuff, aren't you, man?"

Dipper instantly turned red from the praise. He rubbed the back of his head as the uneasy-itchiness came back. "I mean, I wouldn't say I'm the best – "

"And I'm here with you anyways." Wendy continued. "We're like the dream team, buddy! Nothing can stop us when we put our minds together!"

"I know, I know…"

"And besides, how many times do we get the chance to have an adventure with just the two of us?

"Just…the two…of us?" Dipper repeated in a stutter.

Wendy's smile grew deeper as she knew her plan was working. Within seconds, Dipper Pines had turned a complete 180 before her eyes. She twirled back towards the cave and went back on her way.

"Well, now that's settled, let's get – "

"But, Wendy!

She spun back, somewhat annoyed by another interruption. "But what?!"

Dipper shrunk back a bit, extending a finger towards the sky. "It looks like it's gonna rain…"

Wendy saw that the overcast in the sky had grown a bit darker. Fortunately, the cool draft that came with it began to give some much relief from the overbearing summer heat. With his worry debunked, Wendy motioned for her fellow explorer to come closer.

"Dude, a little rain never hurt anyone…now, hop to it!"

* * *

Wendy and Dipper walked on each side of the stream as they followed it into the cave. Seeing that the sunlight was no longer following them inside, Wendy reached into her left short pocket and pulled out an old-fashion Zippo lighter. As she sparked a light to illuminate their path, the auburn-haired survivalist spotted two loose sticks spread across the floor.

Peeking over her shoulder to make sure Dipper was watching, Wendy wedged her right foot beneath the branches and launched them up into the air. The nimble lumberjill waited for the exact moment, to throw her free hand out and catch both in mid-air.

"…whoa…"

The teen could sense her friend's breath being taken away with such a standard trick. Still, it was kind of nice to have someone around who thought every little thing she did was the coolest. Wendy took the tops of the boughs and held them under the lighter's flame, until a small spark caught on each.

She passed a makeshift torch to Dipper and kept one for herself, "It may not be the best-looking, but it'll definitely do the trick here…" Her follower nodded along, accepting Wendy's gift and walking side by side with her down the path. Getting further away from the exit, the atmosphere became more muggy and humid, save for a bit of dew and condensation dripping from the stalagmites hanging from the ceiling. The pathway was completely devoid of noise, except for the slapping sound the two pairs of flip-flops made against the solid flooring. A few moments later, they were forced to stop once more as a new obstacle came to pass.

"What in the world?!"

"…huh…"

A few yards into the cavern, the team has come across a form of giant ravine. The tiny stream that ran pass their sandaled feet poured into the abyss, disappearing from both sights and sound. Wendy grew somewhat curious of the sight. Carefully tearing off a lower piece of her torch, she tossed it into the middle of the chasm, listening for when the wood hit the bottom.

…*THUNK!*…

The small sound echoed upwards a few seconds later, prompting both Dipper and Wendy to take a cautious step backwards.

"That's…" Dipper marveled. "That's pretty deep…"

"You're telling me, kiddo." Wendy agreed as she squint her eyes, "It's so dark, I can't see if anything's down there or not."

"So…" Dipper asked with a sigh of relief, "Does that mean our "adventure" at an end already?"

Wendy swiftly scanned the new area for an answer. Her face lit up as her discovered a close-by answer, "Hmm…maybe not. Look to your left…"

Along the left side of the gorge, a small footpath had been etched from the cave's walling. The razor-thin passage wrapped around the edge of the pit, leading to the opposite end of the grotto.

"I don't know…" Dipper doubted, tapping the side of his forehead in a rhythmic beat as he pondered all of the possibilities aloud, "I mean, it'll get us through, but what happens if we slip, or if the walkway falls as we cross over. We'll be stuck on the other side!"

He regained focus and lift up his head, "What do you think, Wendy?"

A voice echoed from the other end, "I think you're a bit too late, dude!"

"Wha – " Dipper's mouth dropped wide open as he spotted Wendy already on the bridleway. A fourth of the way though, the roguish young woman carefully moved step by step with her back firmly pressed against the jagged wall. She offered a wink and a tiny wave with her free hand with the other holding on to her torch tightly.

Dipper hurried as close to the edge as possible, "What are you doing?"

Wendy replied as she returned to her task, "What's it look like, Dipper? I'm going to the other end."

"But what if – "

"Dip, do you want to find out what that thing was or not?"

"Of course I do! It's just that…"

Wendy started to backpedal a bit. Once she was close enough to her friend, she offered him her empty hand.

"And you do trust me, right?"

He hesitated, staring at the opened palm before him. Part of him wanted to believe anything that came out of Wendy's mouth; if she said it was going to be alright, then, it was. However, the realistic, more practical side of him fought back, stating that despite his unconditional admiration for Wendy Corduroy, bad things could – and probably would happen, even under her watchful eye. In spite of her promises, she didn't control the universe, or in this case, the strange and unusual occurrences that happened when exploring the small mountain town.

In the end, Dipper simply couldn't deny the reassuring freckled face of his teenaged crush, and made his decision. He reached for Wendy's hand as he forced all of the apparent uneasiness from his core.

"I trust you…I'd trust you with anything…"

Wendy nodded as her grin deepened. She clutched his hand tightly, but much to his surprise, didn't yank him onto the slender platform. Instead, the lumberjack eased Dipper into position using a mother's touch.

"Steady…take it slow…"

"O-Okay…"

Wendy set Dipper against the stony wall, giving him step-by-step instructions to follow her progress:

"First things first: don't look down…"

Despite her directions, Dipper's curiosity got the best of him. He stole another look of the trench below and instantly began to suffer a sense of vertigo. He shut his eyes tight and prayed that the feelings of swaying and spinning would quickly fade.

"I – I looked down…"

"Dipper…" Wendy forced her annoyance back, not wanting to make matters worse. "Change of plans, then. Look at me, okay?"

Dipper looked up to meet her eye-to-eye.

"Okay, so now, focus on me, and do exactly as I do, all right?" Wendy pushed her body against the irregular border, keeping her torch-carrying arm at fair distance. "Press your back as much as you can. Now, look at my feet."

Both sets of eyes moved towards the green sandals slightly dangling over the ledge.

"Watch how I go inch-by-inch. I don't lift my feet; I gently slide them a little bit at a time. I don't go too much, so they don't slip out beneath me. You get me?"

"I get it – I get it…"

Before he knew it, Dipper found himself already halfway across the footpath. Wendy kept up the encouragement, seeing her buddy becoming more confident with every step.

"Keep it up, Dip! You're doing great! We're almost there!"

"We…are? We are! I can't believe it! We're actually doing it!"

"Yep…"

Despite his fast progress, Dipper couldn't help but still feel embarrassed by his earlier hesitation. While by no means afraid of heights (especially after his duel with the Waxed Sherlock Holmes), it was more of the sense of the unknown awaiting him below that played against his thoughts. He thought of how such a thing might seem childish to his super-athletic counterpart, whose daily aerial feats never failed to impress.

It was such negativity that blinded the precautious tween from seeing the pride and satisfaction Wendy gave off as she watched her charge conquer his panic and uncertainty with every inch gained.

All of a sudden, Dipper came to a stop. His face twisted tightly. Seeing this, Wendy paused, unsure of exactly what was happening. He pulled his head back, and involuntary lounged forward, prompting his not-so-secret love to cover his chest with her left hand.

"AAAH-CHOOOO!"

The tiny, yet powerful blast echoed the cavern. He let out a long sniffle as Wendy chuckled, "What-in-the-world was that?"

"What? No "gesundheit" or anything?"

"Kid, I don't think you need to tell a sneezing kitten "bless you…""

Dipper let out a tiny growl as he thought of his teasing twin sister, "I really wish Mabel didn't tell you that…"

"Oh, come on, Dipper!" Wendy chided. "It is kinda funny. And I mean, you do sound like one when you sneeze – "

"I do not! It's just that I'm – " His rant was interrupted as his nostrils were tickled for a second time. He let out another quiet, yet high-pitched squeeze that made his main squeeze cackle even more.

"You see! Tell me that doesn't just scream "kitty-cat" to you?"

"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose." Dipper wiped his nose with his hand. "It's just getting kinda damp in here, and it's messing with my allergies…"

"Ohh…" Wendy mocked in a lower tone, "Kitty's getting wet! And now, he's catching a cold! Poor lil' kitty!"

"Wendy! That's not – AHH! AHH! AH-CHOO!"

The third sneeze ricocheted from wall to wall as did the previous ones. However, the room didn't return to its quiet state afterwards. A loud rumbling grew from overhead. Dipper and Wendy could feel vibrations occurring against their backs and beneath their feet. Small pebbles and stones began to fell from the ceiling.

"W-What's happening?!" Dipper asked in alarm.

"Stay cool, okay?" Wendy ordered, her voice becoming a bit shaky. "Be as quiet as possible…"

As she finished her command, Wendy's face fell as the world began to play out in slow motion. The wall behind Dipper started to shatter. Within a split second, she saw the nuggets break formation, and fall towards the edge. She knew without a doubt, if they were to strike Dipper, he would instantly be plunged into the hole.

Without thinking, Wendy threw her torch into the abyss and lounged at her friend. Snagging him by the arm, the lumberjack princess took her admirer by the hand, and using a burst of hidden strength, hurled him towards the end of the chasm.

"WENDY?! What are you – WHHHOOOOAAA!"

Before Dipper knew what had happened, he had hit sturdy ground knees-first; his torch flew out of his hand. He cringed in pain, but at the end, he was safe and sound. Still caught off-guard, it wasn't until Dipper heard a feminine scream followed by the crunching of rolling boulders that he returned to reality.

"Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!"

He rose to his feet and raced towards the cliff's end. Wendy no longer stood on the footpath they had been teetering on seconds before. The wall which they had used for partial support was now cracked and splintered, leaving behind massive chunks of rock missing.

Dipper dropped to his knees and stared into the dark void. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted out into the pitch black, desperate to hear anything from the girl who valiantly saved his life.

"WENDY?! WENDY?! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"


	2. Chapter 2

WENDY!

Dipper Pines peered into the eternal darkness, waiting to hear a response from his crush. Much to his disappointment, the only voice that answered was the echo of his very own.

Extreme panic overcame him as Dipper rose to his feet. This wasn't part of the plan. Heck, a catastrophe of this magnitude was the very last thing from his mind – especially when under the watchful eye of Wendy Corduroy.

Dipper was still in half-belief about what had happened seconds earlier. As Dipper faced almost-certain death, his gingered companion threw herself into danger's way as numerous boulders carried her into the deep abyss before him.

He yanked his hair in worry. The twelve year old didn't know what to do next. He looked across the horizon at the exit; a glimpse of bare sunlight serving as a sort of goal. Dipper wondered if the best course of action would be to escape the cave and try to flag outside help.

"That is…if I don't slip down there on the way out…"

The wheels in his head spun miles a minutes, "No, that wouldn't work. When Wendy and I were entering the cave, nearly everyone else on the beach was heading the other way. Who knows how long it would take to find her help? That is…if she's still – "

Dipper shook the thought from his head. He couldn't think like that! The Wendy he grew to love throughout his summer at Gravity Falls was made of tougher stuff; surely a few crummy rocks couldn't stand a chance in stopping her?

He swallowed hard as he gazed into the abyss yet again. There was only one way to find out. The question that ran through his mind over and over again was if everything was reversed, what would Wendy do in this situation?

Dipper turned around and reclaimed his still-lit torch and explored the cliff's edge. Luckily, the sleuth spotted a steep decline at the left end. If he was careful, Dipper could gradually scale his way onto the precipice's bottom.

Placing his free hand behind him, Dipper ducked down and placed a foot on the tiny hill. As soon as he let go of his handhold, Dipper's sandals slipped out from beneath him, launching him face first down the mound.

"AAHHH! OW! OW! OW! OW!"

Loose gravel and clumps of dirt struck the klutzy boy on his decent to the bottom, creating numerous cuts and scrapes across his body. Wendy's flip flops flew from his feet. His wooden torch fell through his fingertips and joined alongside the slide to the cave's depth.

*SPLASH!*

Dipper jumped to his knees and coughed aloud. He had accidentally swallowed a mouthful of water during his crash landing. The tiny rescuer moved his head back and forth to try to figure out his current location.

A small shining object floated around the waters by Dipper's face. As he picked it up, a chill traveled instantly through his spine. It was a pair of sunglasses – the same pair Wendy kept on top of her head during their getaway! One lens was completely missing, while the right one was shattered in a thousand different places. In spite of his returning doubt, Dipper followed the source of the lens' glow behind him.

Miraculously, his torch lied just above the water bank. Its tip barely had a light, but still provided an invaluable resource amiss the constant dark. Dipper stood up, his body now soaking wet, and made it back towards the incline. Using his bare feet to help guide his way, Dipper could make out that the bottom of the embankment was made of a mixture of tiny pebbles and a thick layer of mud.

He picked up his light and waded back towards the middle of the ankle-deep water in search of his lost friend.

"Wendy!" Dipper held a hand over his mouth to make his voice travel further. Once more, only the echoes returned his call. Nevertheless, he went forward, going little by little to make sure no stone was left unturned. "Wendy?" His voice rose, "If you can hear me, please, give me a sign!"

Walking towards the edge, Dipper felt something tightened around his right ankle. He let out a blood-curling scream as he tried to hop away in fright.

"Dude…"

"Huh?" Instantly recognizing the murmur, Dipper lowered his light, letting out an exhausting gasp upon seeing the discovery. Lying on her back in the murky water, Wendy Corduroy looked up at him with a weak smile. Soot and dirt covered her freckled face. Her long, copper hair was deeply tangled, with large clumps floating freely behind her. Wendy's arms and shoulders were deeply bruised by the fall. The white tank top she wore to the beach was now a dirty black.

"Keep it down, okay?" The lumberjack warned. "You don't want to set off another landslide, do ya?"

"Oh, Wendy!" Dipper stuck his lit stick into the soft ground and dropped to his knees. He scooped her up in his noodle arms and held her out the water, "I – I can't believe it! You're alright!"

"" _Alright_ ," Wendy sputtered, "Might be too strong of a word here, but I'm still breathing…"

"Wendy, I don't – " Dipper wanted to tell her a thousand different things; he wanted to thank her for saving his life; he wanted to tell her how scared he was, thinking that she was gone forever. But above all things, he wanted to toss aside his promise of being "itchy-free" and say that he had never loved her more as much as he did at that moment.

However, the jumble of words became caught in his throat. Wendy could instantly tell all that and more by looking into his watery, brown eyes.

"Hey, now…" Wendy reached up and grabbed Dipper's wrist, "It's okay. _I'm okay_. I mean, you should know better by now, kid. You honestly think that a little fall was going to take me out?"

Dipper sniffled and shook his head. He offered a beam in return, "I – I should have known better, huh?"

"Yep, and besides, _anything for my boy, right?"_

He nodded. With his emotions gathered, Dipper tried to help Wendy to her feet, "Here, let me – "

"AHH!"

The older teen let out a yelp as Dipper hoisted her upwards. He immediately set her back down into the water upon hearing her scream, "What?! What's wrong?! Did I do something – "

Wendy cut him off with another groan, "Dipper – Dipper, it's my leg." With a little bit of strained effort, the redhead raised her arm and pointed towards the other end of her body. "Something's wrong with my leg…"

"Okay, okay…" He tried to calm her. "I'll go take a quick look…"

Following her directions, Dipper moved past Wendy's upper half, spotting her left knee sticking out of the water's surface. On the other side, her other leg disappeared under a barrage of rocks and boulders piled up against the rim of the ditch.

Dipper climbed over the stones and peeked over the other side. Wedged tightly between the countless pebbles, he watched as Wendy's bare foot bounced and twisted in an attempt of finding an escape.

"Well – "

He turned back, as Wendy held herself up using her elbows.

"What's the diagnosis, Doc?"

Dipper's face fell as he struggled to tell Wendy what he just discovered.

"Umm…you want the "Good News" or the "Bad News" first?"

"Hmm…" Wendy thought about it for a moment, "The "Good News."

"Well," Dipper said. "Your streak of "losing your sandals at the beach" goes on unchallenged…"

Wendy could tell by Dipper's face what he was trying to say.

"I'm really in there good, aren't I?"

With a sense of regret, Dipper bobbed his head, "Yeah, you are…"

She lowered her head in the water in disappointment. The fall had taken a lot of energy from her. "It might be too early to ask, but any bright ideas?"

"Eh…" Dipper looked back at Wendy's trapped limb as he tried to formulate a plan. He noticed all of the running mud dripping off of the overhang. It was the very same that clung to the bottoms of his feet on the ravine's flooring.

"Maybe that might – "

"Dip," Wendy encouraged. "At this point, I'm open to anything. After all, it's not like I'm going anywhere soon…"

"Okay, then…" Dipper hopped off the rocks and gathered a handful of the soft muck surrounding him. He carried it back behind the rocky barrier and started to smear it all over Wendy's foot.

"AH!" She shrieked out of reflex. "Tickles! So bad!" Wendy raised her head, finding herself unable to see past the newly made barricade. "Dipper! What are you doing back there?"

The boy started to explain, "I'm covering your foot with this mud. Hopefully, you'll be able to slip out easily. So, try not to squirm so much…"

"But it feels so weird!"

"On second thought, squirming could do the trick, so go nuts…" Dipper hopped off his heels as he admired his handiwork. Within seconds, he had succeeded in turning the pale appendage before him into a messy-brown one.

Dipper bent over and placed one hand against the balls of Wendy's foot, and the other on her heel. He shouted to his imprisoned main squeeze, "Okay, Wendy. I'll push and you pull! On three?"

The adolescents counted in conjunction: "One…Two…THREE!"

Wendy dug her hands into the floor as she grinded her teeth and yanked her leg. On the opposite side, Dipper threw his weight against her foot and shoved forward with everything he had. A few seconds later, he could hear Wendy cry out:

"Dip – Dipper! Stop! STOP!"

"Wha – What?" Without a second's notice, Dipper sped around the rocks to Wendy's side, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"My ankle," Wendy went into detail. "When we moved my leg, it felt like my ankle was going to shatter into a bajillion pieces." She let out a huge sigh as she straightened her thigh, "Let's not do that again…"

"You got it…" Dipper promised. He tried his best to hide his new worry. He knew that it would have to take a lot of damage to make Wendy submit in such a quick fashion. " _Oh, man,_ " he thought to himself as he maintained a straight face. _"What if Wendy broke her ankle during the fall? Even if I get her free, how would I get her back up the ravine?"_

Not wanting to rest on his laurels, Dipper rose back up and went back to the rock piles holding Wendy's ankle hostage. He dug his fingers into any fracture he could find, pulling up with as much strength as his small noodle arms could muster. Despite his best efforts, not one single stone budged an inch.

"Dipper…" Wendy could see her little protector growing a new shade of red with every further strain. "Dipper, just…give it up. It's not moving…"

Hearing such permission, Dipper collapsed over the pile. He took deep breath one after another as he turned away from his damsel in distress in shame.

"I'm…sorry," he panted. "So…sorry…I couldn't…"

"Kid, _you and I together_ wouldn't be able to move those things, yet alone you all by yourself!" Wendy made herself clear, "You would need someone with some serious muscle to move those things. We're talking like Soos-level…"

"…Soos-level…" As if struck by lightning, Dipper slapped the side of his head, "Of course! Why didn't we think of it before?"

"Think of what?"

"The guys!" Dipper cried. "We'll call Mabel and Soos, and they'll help get you outta there…"

"Umm…" Wendy bit her lip. "Small problem with that, bud…"

"And that is?"

"Remember? We kept our cells in my backpack so we wouldn't get them wet at the beach?"

"Okay, so where's your backpack?"

"I'm not sure. I lost it during the fall. It has to be somewhere down here."

"I'm on it!" Dipper volunteered again, wanting to prove his worth, "If it's down here, I'll find it. You can count on it!" He walked through the water, using the limited light given by the fading torch mounted in the muddy ground. The tween looked over his shoulder at his trapped friend, "I'll be back in a few!"

"Don't worry," Wendy reassured him with a sarcastic smirk on her lips, "I have a feeling I'll still be here when you get back."

Dipper traveled back into the gloom, using his hands and feet to help guide his way. So far, he had found nothing but empty water.

"C'mon," he grumbled, "Wendy's pack has to be here somewhere – OWWW!"

He hopped up and down, holding his big toe in his hand as he swore under his breath. "What in the world – "

Dipper reached beneath the waters and picked up the object that injured his foot with both hands. It was a sort of decayed skeleton. The top of it had various different types of curves and points. There were numerous holes based along what Dipper guessed to be its neck. Every inch of meat and muscle had been picked clean from its bones. The carcass gave off a sickening stench, prompting the youngster to turn his head, or else, risk vomiting.

 _"It almost feels…like a giant fish…"_

"Dipper? Did you find anything?"

"Huh?" His scientific theorizing was interrupted by Wendy's voice. Dipper spun around and shouted back into the dark.

"Nothing yet!" He lied, wishing not to add to her worry. "But that backpack's has to be here somewhere!"

"Okay, then! Be careful!"

Dipper carefully set the corpse back into the water. "What could have done this? I mean, I can barely lift this thing. What kind of monster could tear it apart like this?" He recalled how this whole mess started – when he and Wendy found those mysterious tracks at the cave's entrance.

 _"Let's hope whatever did this is long gone!"_

As Dipper turned his head, he spotted something waving in the air a few feet above him. He looked up to see the missing rucksack dangling from a small hold on the left side of the cliff – the same side Wendy had fallen down minutes before.

Finding a support etched in the granite, Dipper stood on his tip toes, and reached up towards Wendy's backpack. He struggled to lift the strap wrapped around the cliffside, only to lose his balance and fell back into the murky depths with a splash!

"OOOMPH!"

Unfortunately, the knapsack came down with him, striking Dipper in the chest as he landed.

After taking a second to catch his breath, the boy sat up and overlooked the backpack in his lap. The very first thing that he noticed was that the front zipper was wide open.

"Great," he sighed disappointedly. "That's just great…"

He went along with exploring the innards of Wendy's bag. Much of the supplies and goodies that the duo had bought with them to the beach had disappeared into the damp water surrounding him. The same went with the black sneakers that Wendy had confiscated off his feet earlier that day.

"Guess that mean I'm staying barefoot for the rest of this little "adventure," Dipper bemoaned as he continued to dig for supplies. At long last, the pre-teen found a little success as he pulled the plastic baggie containing both their cell phones – Wendy's modest flip phone, and the lowest quality one Grunkle Stan begrudgingly gave his great-nephew in case of emergencies such as this.

Despite the limited light given, Dipper could tell something was wrong as he shifted the bag back and forth. When the contents inside moved side to side, he made out a slight "swishing" sound.

"Oh! Please don't tell me – "

Dipper opened the bag's seal and watched as a pint of water drained out as the two soaked electronics fell into his awaiting hand.

"Awesome…" Dipper lamented sarcastically. "And the nearest container of dry rice is who knows how many miles away…"

He was caught off-guard as a third object slid out of the backpack and crashed into the water at his bare feet with a splash. With his right hand, Dipper dug around in the obscurity to find out whatever flew out of the pouch. After a moment or two, he felt something smooth, yet hard against his fingertips.

Dipper pulled the item out of the wetness and held it close to his face. It was Wendy's trusty Zippo lighter. He opened the flip-top, only to have water pour out of its chambers.

"Add that to the pile of broken toys…"

"DIPPER!" Wendy cried out with a sense of urgency. "I – I think something's wrong!"

"No kidding," Dipper responded, as he re-examined their wet phones. "These things are probably fried…"

"No! No! Not that!" Her voice rose even more so, making him finally take notice, "Just come back here - _please_?"

In a hurry, Dipper collected the recoveries and rushed back towards where Wendy was pinned. When he arrived at her location, he found her staring up at him with a concerned, yet alarmed expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Dipper took a knee to meet his crush eye-to eye. "Did something happen?"

"Yes! No!" She ranted. "I don't know!"

The rapid-fire response only added to Dipper's worries. Up until this point, Wendy had kept a calm head in spite of her predicament. The horrific new possibilities rushed through his mind at the speed of light.

Taking a minute, Wendy recollected herself to a calmer state. "Dip," she began to clarify, "I'm not sure if it's just my mind playing tricks on me, but I think the water's rising…"

"WHAT?!" Dipper exclaimed aloud.

"I know it sounds crazy," Wendy said, "But hear me out. When you first found me, the water barely reached past my elbows. A few minutes later, it's now halfway towards my shoulders." Her green eyes widened as she came to her conclusion, "That means the water level's rising – and fast – right?"

Instead of trying to still her worries, Dipper kept deathly silent as he stood back up.

"Dipper?"

His mind began to fluctuate as he looked down at his own two feet. He remembered that when he entered the pit in search of his sweetheart, the water barely covered his ankles. At that very moment, _it was just past his shins._

 _"Oh my gosh! She's right! It is rising…"_

"Dipper! Earth to Dipper! Come in, Dipper!"

Dipper cleared his head as the calling voice seemingly a million miles away broke his concentration. He glanced back at Wendy with a hint of sadness and melancholy in his soft brown eyes. Without having a word said to her by her companion, the ginger had her answer:

"It is, isn't it?"

Again, Dipper didn't know how to answer; how to tell his partner in crime that things just when from bad to way worse.

"But, how?" Wendy asked. "Why is the ravine filling up all of a sudden?"

Dipper finally broke his silence, "I don't think it's supposed to do that. Think about it, Wendy. When we were crossing the pit and you tossed that piece of the torch down into it. It didn't "splash" – it just "THUNK"'ed."

"Meaning?"

"That the water level is meant to be low." Dipper held a hand up to his chin as he overlooked the scene, "So, there has to be a place where it can drain naturally. Someplace where there is now blockage preventing that…"

As if they could read each other's minds, Wendy and Dipper instantly set their sights on the obstruction that entrapped the former's leg. They looked back at one another, each with a somber facade.

"Fat chance," Wendy asked with a touch of nervousness, "But you don't know any science-y tricks that'll get things flowing again, right?"

Dipper frowned, "Not really. Do you know any lumberjacking methods to absorb water or something like that?"

"Nope…"

Both let out a defeated sigh as the new threat grew more with every passing second.

"What do we do now?"

Dipper crossed his arms as he struggled to search his thoughts for a chance at escape.

"I…I don't know…"


	3. Chapter 3

Dipper was left at a standstill. Wendy was still utterly trapped within the rubble from the cave-in – a position she had bravely put herself into while saving his hide. And now, the same debris prevented the casually-flowing waters from emptying into the earth.

With every passing second, the height of the brook grew little by little within the ravine. The boy knew that it would only be a matter of time before it would be over Wendy's head. Given the angle in which she was forced to lie, they both knew that they didn't have very long.

"Dipper!"

He was awakened as the snared girl called out to him. He looked down to see that Wendy was reaching out to him with both arms extended.

"Dipper, grab my hands!"

"Huh?"

Wendy stretched out even further, "Just do it, okay?"

Setting their belongings onto a nearby boulder, Dipper followed her instructions and tightly griped both of her hands. "Alright. Now what?"

"Now pull as hard as you can! On three…"

His eyes moved to the rock pile holding her leg, "But you said not to – "

"Forget about what I said before, and listen to what I'm telling you now!" Wendy chastised. "NOW PULL!"

Dipper dug his feet into the soft ground and took step after step backwards. Wendy scrunched her face firmly as her body was lifted off the floor and stretched.

"AHH!"

"Wendy?!"

"Keep…going…" the tough-as-nails high-schooler ordered. "Don't…let…go…"

Dipper noticed that Wendy raised her other leg out of the water and used it to push against the heap holding her right foot. Her freckled face turned a beet red as the duo pushed and pulled in conjunction in hopes of lugging Wendy to freedom.

"Ugh! Ugh!"

Dipper's heart fell with every moan he heard, but knew it was a necessary evil. The way his crush was being drawn outright reminded him of a ghastly rack one would find in a medieval exhibit. He couldn't even begin to imagine the torture Wendy was experiencing, and more so, how she was able to maintain her cool, save for a few pained sounds that occasionally escaped past her sealed lips.

After a few minutes of endless heaving, Dipper started to bow. His back ached, but in spite of it, he never let go of Wendy. As soon as he felt all of his energy was spent, all he needed to do was to look down and see her shining emerald eyes staring back at him, and instantly, his strength was renew.

However, it was Wendy herself that eventually called off the seemingly-eternal tug-of-war.

"Dipper, stop…"

"What. But…I…"

"You can stop, buddy…" Wendy repeated.

Using a gentle touch, Dipper set the lanky girl back into the water. Once more, he found himself embarrassed by his physical shortcomings.

"Wendy," he asked for forgiveness, "I'm sorry – I tried! I really did! But – "

"Dude," she cut him off. "It wasn't you. My foot – it didn't even budge a single inch!"

Struck by hopelessness, Dipper sank down into the water next to Wendy, "This can't be it. There has to be another way…"

Wendy grew angry. "Dammit!" She slammed her fist against the water's surface, creating a deep splash. "It's bad enough that I'm stuck like this, and now, the water…" She lied back in the stream as her long, tangled hair floated freely, "If there was only a way to stop the flow from coming…"

"Wait, what?" Dipper raised his head.

"Well, yeah," Wendy pointed up towards the cliff closest to them. "Isn't that where the water's coming from? It's that little stream coming from the cave's opening?"

"Stop the stream…" Dipper repeated as his eyes grew wide. He made it to his knees and seized Wendy by her shoulders, scaring the wits out of the fifteen-year-old. "Wendy, that's it!"

"What's it, Dip?"

His voice went higher with excitement, "What you just said. You're brilliant, you know that?!"

"I'm – what? Dipper – "

Without saying another word, Dipper let go of Wendy and stood up. He walked over to the mound of boulders holding her leg, and to Wendy's astonishment, the small detective started to climb on top of it.

"Buddy, what are you doing?" Wendy nervously watched as Dipper stepped on the various rocks, wishing that he wouldn't get himself caught within them as she had.

Dipper looked over his shoulder with a gleam of optimism in his eyes, "I'm going to stop the stream, just like you said!"

"How in the heck are you going to do that?"

He started to scale the cliff back to the top. Dipper turned around, gripping his handholds, and shouted downwards, "I'll figure it out somehow." He could tell what was in his friend's mind by her troubled visage, "Don't worry, Wendy! I'll stop the water from coming, and then, we'll figure out a way to get you outta there! I'll just be a few minutes!"

"Dipper…" Wendy sighed as she lowered her shoulders back into the depth, relieving the growing stress on her upper body. _"Don't make a girl a promise…"_

She watched as he finally made his way back up the cliffside, eventually disappearing from her line of sight.

 _"…if you know you can't keep it…"_

* * *

Taking one last look at Wendy as she lied pinned in the watery ravine, Dipper continued to push upwards towards the cavern's exit. Each jagged hold he came across painfully dug into his palms and soles, but the boy's determination prevailed over any cuts or strings he felt. His time was limited – if he didn't hurry, or even succumbed to his injuries for a mere moment, then Wendy might –

"NO!" Dipper shook his head back and forth as a newfound energy rose up from within. He refused to even acknowledge the possibility of things ending in horrid tragedy. Wendy had pulled his sorry hide out of the fire countless times throughout the short time they had known each other. With the tables turned, the pint-sized detective had no intention of letting her down in the slightest – especially since her life now hung in the balance.

Nearing the edge, Dipper looked to his left, seeing he was now parallel to the gentle, teeming stream that unwittingly contributed to Wendy's possible downfall with every passing second. He pulled his pudgy self over the edge, fighting the urge to kneel over and take a breather. Dipper pressed against the ground and rose up, his mud-caked feet became bogged down as he padded down the super-soft sand grains.

Following the footprints he and Wendy had made earlier, Dipper covered his eyes as more light came into the horizon. In the short time within the depths of the cave, he had become a little too adjusted in the dank surroundings. He gazed down to see the brook passing just pass his toes.

Dipper dropped to his knees to gain a better view of the flow. To the untrained eye, it looked as if the surge moved smoothly down the sandy path. Instead, the tiny sleuth discovered that the walkway actually was on a gentle curve; the further it went into the mouth of the cave, the more slanted it became.

"Well," Dipper noted as he rubbed his chin, "There goes any chance of rerouting the stream. Gravity would force the water back down this way, even if I was to make a new path." He got back up to one knee, "It looks like it's gonna be "the hard way…"

Dipper returned to the mouth of the cave, where the sandy footpath merged into the rocky flooring of the hollow. Once more, he fell hard on his knees and reached out on each side of the rivulet. The twelve-year old began to make waving motioning with his arms, taking handfuls of dry sand along with each stroke.

After a few moments, Dipper leaned back on his heels, placing his hands on his hips, and overlooked his progress with a quiet sense of pride. A huge lump of dampened sand sat before him as it partially blocked the water from passing by freely.

Not satisfied with his efforts, Dipper wiped the sweat away from his brow before going onwards with his plan. He plowed both hands beneath the gigantic obstruction, knowing that he had to rush before the sand dried completely. With his eyes closed, and his face tightened, Dipper shoveled the mound forward, taking along additional sand-filled clumps to add to the pile.

As he progressed further down the path, inch-by-inch, the water pressure attempted to burst through the make-shift barricade. Dipper, not filling to be defeated (especially with Wendy's sake on the line), clutched palms filled of muddy sand and used to as temporary patches as he push the pile further down.

When he finally reached the mid-point between the beach and the cavern's entrance, Dipper lifted his exhausted frame up and overlooked his progress. The grey dam was now nearly as big as he was, and ironically enough, just as soggy. However, the combined density of the meshed-mess served its purpose, just as Dipper had predicted. The once-flat-stream was now nothing but a few escaped drips of excess water that had zero chance of reaching its naturally set goal.

With his task finally complete, Dipper fell back on his bottom, resting his back against the cave side wall. He lowered his head in fatigue, taking numerous deep breaths as reality came gushing back. Wendy was safe, but only for the moment. When everything was said and done, she was still trapped within the cavern's depths.

Dipper opened his eyes as a small detail caught his attention. Among the small patches of untouched sands, he noticed the thin, claw-like marks that originally lured Wendy and him into the treacherous grotto in the first place. A cold shiver flew down his spine as he remembered the halfway decomposed animal corpse hidden away in the murky water where Wendy was caught.

He hopped to his feet, trying his best to swat all of the sticky sand from his body, before heading back into the entrance of the beachside hideaway. Dipper prayed that his effort had not been for naught – that the mysterious predator that caused all of these odd phenomena not only would stay hidden for the time being, but that it hopefully didn't pay his main squeeze a visit while in his absence…

* * *

"Wendy?"

Dipper made a small splash as he jumped from the lower part of the cliff and back into the ravine's waters. The first thing he noticed was that the stream was back at near-ankle-level. He sighed in relief, knowing that his hypotenuse was correct: without any additional water being added to the mix, it gave the whole mass the extra time it needed to drain from the chamber.

"Wendy?"

His nerves were starting to trigger the further he waded into the flood. Why wasn't she answering him? A horrific thought popped into his head: " _what if I didn't stop it in time? What if I'm too late?_ "

"WENDY?!"

Dipper hurried towards the mounted torch that he set in the ground near his crush as he called out yet again, "WENDY?!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, something reached up and gave the bottom of the short pant a gentle tug, prompting Dipper to scream in surprise.

"Dude…"

Dipper looked to down to see a half-asleep Wendy staring up at him with a puzzled look on her freckled face.

"What's with all the shouting?" she asked. "I'm right where you left me…"

With his heart sinking back into his chest, Dipper knelt down to meet her, "Sorry. I – I'm sorry. I called your name when I came back, and when I didn't hear you, I – I guess…" He cleared his throat, "Sorry for freaking out…"

"Oh…" Wendy sat up as much as her ensnared leg would allow, "My bad. I must have conked out for a second there." She reached behind her head and pulled out the backpack Dipper had found earlier. "I tried to use this guy to help prop myself up, but I guess it became a makeshift pillow, huh?"

Dipper found himself almost dumbfounded. He had been scared witless about Wendy suffering a grisly fate, and however, she was calm enough to take a quick-cat-nap despite the ongoing chaos around her.

"You fell _asleep_?"

"Yeah, crazy, right? I know it sounds funny, but I think the cold is getting to me…making me tired."

Dipper slowly pulled back as he came to a realization, "What if Wendy's catching hypothermia?" He had never thought of the possible effects of having half her body under chilly water for a long period of time.

"So, you did it, right?"

"Wha - ?" Wendy's question brought Dipper back to the moment.

"I haven't drowned yet," the redhead explained with a sarcastic grin, "So, I take it you were able to stop the stream?"

"Uh-huh," her cohort confirmed, "It wasn't easy, but I was able to make a temporary dam that blocked the water from coming from the beach. It should hold for the moment, at least…"

Wendy reached up and lightly grasped Dipper's wrist, "Thanks, buddy…" All the sarcasm and wit was removed from her voice, in an attempt to sound truly sincere. "You really came – "

Dipper interrupted, standing up to break Wendy's hold. He crossed his arms and paced away as Wendy grew perplexed by his unexpected reaction. "You don't have to thank me, Wendy," he responded peeking over his shoulder at her. "You really don't…"

For once, he didn't want his love's affection. Part of him felt a guilt-filled weight pressed against his gut for seeking any praise in trying to keep Wendy alive.

 _"You don't have to thank me, Wendy – because it's my fault you're wedged there in the first place."_

Desperate to break the silence, Wendy attempted to change the subject.

"Hey," she asked, "Before this "flood mess," you said that you found some of our stuff?"

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot!" Dipper hurried back, digging into his pockets to retrieve the once-lost goods. He opened his hands in front of Wendy. "Our phones were still in your knapsack!"

"Awesome!" Wendy pumped her arm down in victory, "That means we're a quick call or text from getting outta here, right?"

"Actually," Dipper anxiously rubbed the back of his messy brown hair, "The baggie they were in was completely soaked. There's a good chance they might be fried."

His heart melted as he watched the hopeful smile fall from Wendy's face. The shine that appeared in her bright green eyes instantly turned dull. In an attempt to change the mood, Dipper put the phones away and reached into his back pouch, presenting his final finding, "It may not help, but I saw this little guy down there, too…"

Wendy looked out of the corner of her eye to see her Zippo lighter lying in Dipper's palm. After a moment of thought, she plucked it from his hand and examined it.

"Yeah, I think it's busted. Water was pouring out of it like crazy…"

"Maybe not…" With a burst of energy, Wendy flipped the Zippo top back and started to take the lighter apart. Dipper watched in quiet amazement until the ginger made a request, "Do you have a quarter?"

"A _what_?!"

"A quarter. A dime." Wendy listed. "Any type of coin. Just something I can use as a screwdriver?"

"No, not really…" Dipper patted his shorts as a new idea came to mind, "But I do have this…"

He tugged his worn-out multi-tool from his back right pocket, flipped to the mini-screwdriver, and gave it to his sweetheart.

"Thanks." Wendy closed an eye and stuck her tongue out slightly as she removed the screw holding the bottom of the lighter. As she caught a few items, the girl passed them to Dipper, carefully making a cupping gesture over his hands. "Be extra careful with these; if we lose the flint and flint screw, we're definitely boned here."

"Got it, Wendy…" Dipper held his grasp tightly, never daring as to risk taking a peek at such valuable items. Instead, he went on watching Wendy's every move as she operated on the defective lighter. All of a sudden, she paused.

"Darn it! The cotton's too soaked!" Wendy raised her head, "Where in the heck am I going to get new – " Overlooking her partner in crime, a Cheshire grin swiftly formed.

"Dipper…" she beckoned, "Turn around for a sec, would ya?"

The boy promptly followed the order. "'Kay, Wendy. But why – "

His face instantaneously turned a tomato red as he felt a slender hand enter his leftmost back pocket and rub up against his back end. With a nippy jerk, Dipper heard a slight *RIP* as a huge chunk of material was torn from his shorts.

"Thanks for the cotton, Dip," Wendy said as she tucked a fraction of the fluff into the bottom of the lighter.

"Um…" Dipper forced out, still ripe with embarrassment over the close encounter. "D – Don't mention it. Really…"

"There!" Wendy motioned towards Dipper to return the missing pieces. She re-inserted the flirt piece and its respective screw before replacing the outer cover of the Zippo lighter. "Hopefully, the fluid isn't too watered down, but we'll find out in a sec…"

After taking a glance at Dipper, who patiently waited on eggshells, Wendy flicked the starter as the adolescents gawked at the mighty flame that came roaring out.

"YES! YES! YES!"

"I – I can't – " Dipper stuttered in wonder. "Wendy, that was incredible! But how did you - ?"

"Hey, don't act so surprised, Dipper," she chastised. "You know how many times this baby was rained on during camping trips with my family?"

"Oh, yeah." At times, Dipper would forget that his crush could be easily considered to be an expert outdoor survivalist – somethimg incredibly rare for someone her age. "So, what do we do now?"

"Mmm…" Wendy looked around her surroundings, despite being extremely limited by her predicament. "Well, a little more light down here couldn't hurt." She pointed pass him, "Dipper, could you bring that here?"

Dipper turned his head to see that a giant stick, the same Wendy had previously used as a torch, was now floating within reaching distance. He bent over, collected the branch, and returned to Wendy's side.

"What's next?"

"Next," she highlighted the rock pile holding her foot hostage, "Beat that bad boy against the rocks a few times. Be careful not to hit it too hard; we don't wanna break it; we just want to get as much moisture out of it as possible.

"On it, Wendy!"

*BOINK! BOINK! BOINK!*

Dipper gave the stick a few good whacks, noticing that sprays of water were released with every blow.

"Okay, okay!" Wendy told him. "It should be fine. Now, point the tip by me."

Once Dipper held the branch over Wendy's body, she took a hold of it with her left hand. She flickered the lighter again, holding the radiant flame at the very tip. As soon as it caught a small spark of fire, Wendy turned back towards Dipper, "Now, pull back. It should be raring to go…"

"Whoa…"

Dipper's eyes lit up, becoming enamored by the bright glow lying in his hands as he gently moved it back and forth.

"What we want to try to do is expand the light we have," Wendy explained, motioning towards their fading luminosity that was mounted in the ground several feet from her location. Following her advice, Dipper rushed through the water towards the torch, stopping for a moment to get on his tip-toes. He brought the two tips together, noting that the mounted lantern's flame was reignited.

Part of Wendy felt bad for bossing her shortened admirer around in such a manner, but knew she really didn't have a choice, considering her current bind. Luckily, it looked like Dipper didn't mind in the slightest.

"Good job," Wendy encouraged. "Look around and pick a spot for that guy. Try to keep some distance between those two, so we can brighten up this place as much as we can."

Dipper took the second stick and planted it far to Wendy's left, increasing the amount of given light at the bottom of the pit.

"Perfect!" Wendy narrowed her eyes flirtatiously at her little helper. "Say, you're really getting the hang of this stuff, Dip."

"Yeah, I guess." Dipper let his guilt-ridden guard down a bit, "It's just that I was never big on this kind of stuff."

"Heh!" Wendy laughed. "Nobody learns all this stuff overnight! Do you know how many years it took _me_ to get the hang of it? It'll come in time. Heck, I can definitely teach you a ton of stuff where we get out of here…"

There was a sudden, awkward pause between the two young adults, as both shared the same thought, never daring to air such a thing out loud:

 _"That is, if we get out of here…"_

Dipper began to speak, "If only there was a way to fix the phones like how you did with the lighter."

"Sorry, pal," Wendy apologized. "Electronics is more your thing than it is mine. If something usually breaks on me, I just buy a new one." After a second, her curiosity grew, "But what would you need to get them going again?"

"Oh, I dunno," Dipper tried to concentrate. "I think that they're too damp on the inside. And unfortunately, we can't take them apart, like how you did the lighter. If anything, we would need a way to get all of the moisture out of their inners."

"Like, steam them dry, maybe?"

"Hey, yeah!" he exclaimed. "But how would we do that down here?"

Wendy gave off a toothy grin, "Just leave that to me, small fry. You still have that plastic bag we had those guys in?"

"Um…"

Dipper double-checked his surroundings, noticing the still-wet freezer bag lying on a nearby rock. He took it to Wendy, who proceeded to squeeze and twist all of the excess water from it, save for a couple of water spots. She opened the bag, "Mind tossing the phones in here real fast?"

The pre-teen watched as Wendy resealed the bag, only to hand it back to him a moment later. She took the Zippo light off the dry spot on her chest and opened its flip-top.

"Okay, Dipper," Wendy began to explain, "This is the plan. I want you to hold the bag with both hands over me. One hand has to keep the phones from sliding around in them. With your other hand, you need to make sure the bag stays as still as possible.

Dipper clutched the two modest cell phones in the left corner of the container. He tightly pinched the top of the plastic, near the reseal-able barrier.

"Ready!"

"Good!" Wendy turned the lighter on and carefully held its flame several inches below the opposite end of the bag. "Let's hope this works."

"Wait!" Dipper's eyes widened as Wendy's fire tickled the empty corner of the container. "What are you doing? Isn't this going to ruin it?"

She adjusted her aim, "Not…if we hold it far enough." Wendy looked up at Dipper, "That's why you have to have a good grip on this thing." She took her free hand and held the side closest to the phones. "If the flame gets too close, it'll melt the plastic, but if we keep it heated just right…"

Within moments, the water spots hanging on the inside evaporated, only to become a small patch of steam. As Dipper's nerves began to act up, he would occasionally glance at Wendy, whose gaze remained focused on the project at hand.

A minute later, Wendy used her thumb to close the top of the Zippo. "Move your head, Dipper. This thing's going to be hot!"

After Dipper took a step back, she opened the seal on the bag, as the duo watched the cloud of steam rose up from the pouch. Wendy set the bottom half in the water around her to cool it to the touch before handing it back to Dipper.

"Good luck, Mr. Wizard. Hope it helped…"

"Me, too, Wendy…" Dipper took his cell out of the bag and attempted to turn it on by holding the power button. The LED screen turned on to a bright blue home page…

"Yes!" Dipper cheered.

…before turning off completely.

"No!"

"What?" Wendy twisted her head, trying to get a better view. "What is it?"

"I think it's the battery…" Dipper repeatedly turned the phone on, only for it to shut down within split seconds. "There's no way to keep the power going, considering the nearest charger is miles away from here…"

"What about my phone?"

"Okay, then…" Dipper threw his cell back into the bag and selected Wendy's more modern flip phone. Again, he held his thumb over the power button and watched as the boot-up sequence started.

"So far, so good…"

Just outside of his sights, Wendy crossed her fingers in hopes of successful escape from this nightmare.

The LED screen went to the home page, where it remained uninterrupted.

"It's – it's working!"

"It is?"

"Yeah!" Dipper flew down to one knee to give Wendy a closer look, "See? You did it, Wendy! You did it!"

" _We_ did it, Dipper!" she congratulated. "Now, hurry! Call someone so we can get outta here!"

"Right, right…" Dipper scrolled through Wendy's contacts list in search of his sister's number. He hit the OK button, and held the speaker to his ear. A moment later, a piercing, beeping sound came from the phone. The pitch was so deep that even Wendy heard it.

Confused, Dipper lowered the phone and stared at the screen. Wendy noticed that all of the color fell from his face.

"Dipper! Dipper, what's up? What's wrong?"

Without saying a word, Dipper turned the phone towards Wendy so that she could read the new message being displayed:

"NO SIGNAL FOUND – NO ACTIVE SERVICE"


	4. Chapter 4

_(Note: Thanks to SuperGroverAway for "creature suggestions")_

"Dipper?"

The small boy stared in disbelief at the message on Wendy's phone. His head drooped over the small electronic as his mind raced at what happened: all of his hard work had lead up to this crushing defeat.

"DIPPER!"

Annoyed, Wendy cupped her hand and lightly splashed him with the cold water. Dipper shook himself awake and turned towards his fallen crush.

"Don't zone out on me like that, alright?!" Wendy shrunk back after seeing the distress on her friend's face. Her anger subsided as she took a deep breath to calm herself. Wendy knew that lashing out any further could result in shattering the last bit of composure Dipper managed to cling on to.

"S-Sorry! I'm – "

Wendy held out her hand to stop him, "You're okay, Dip. The phone thing's not your fault. You tried – _we tried_ – and it didn't take. It's nobody's fault." She bit her lip, knowing that her sentence was definitely going to set him off. "But with that being said, we need to come with a new plan…"

Dipper raised an eyebrow, "What did you have in mind?" The extra pause Wendy took before speaking again only added to his concern.

"Well, I think the best course of action…is for you to climb back outta here and try to flag down someone passing by on the beach…"

"WHAT?!" Dipper's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Dipper…"

"No way!"

"Listen to me…"

"Absolutely not!"

"What other choice do we have?"

"There's no way I'm leaving you down here alone – especially with – "

Dipper stopped in mid-sentence as Wendy narrowed her sight in bewilderment, "With what, Dipper?"

He broke eye-contact, picturing the picked-clean corpse hidden away amongst the dark waters. It was by a small blessing of luck that they had avoided whatever had left such carnage. Dipper looked back, past the stern expression Wendy had pushed to the surface, seeing the tender shine in her green eyes. Her admirer hated to lie to her in any amount, but figured the last thing she needed was to be scared further while in her current state.

"With what, Dipper?" Wendy repeated.

"With…you being trapped the way you are…" Dipper tried to keep a straight face, to further his deception.

"Well, little guy," Wendy said. "We can't just stay down here forever, hoping someone will find us. So, unless there's a plan you've been holding out on…"

Wendy's voice seemed to fade away as Dipper returned his sights to her phone in his hand. His brown eyes focused on the blank signal bar on the upper left corner of the LED screen. Still determined, Dipper walked back and forth, the cooling waters swished between his legs with each step.

"….I dunno," Wendy continued, "Maybe you can make some kind of flare, then come back down…"

Dipper let out a squeak as something appeared on Wendy's phone: a single bar of cellular service made itself known.

"What?!" Wendy's battle plan was stopped by Dipper's sudden squeal. "What happened?"

Dipper spun around on his heels, "A signal! We got a signal!"

"Really?!" Wendy made a pushing motion with her hands, "Hurry and try to call out!"

"I am! I am!" Dipper went to dial, as the phone emitted another series of familiar beeps:

"NO SIGNAL FOUND – NO ACTIVE SERVICE"

"Crap!" The redhead aired her dismay from across the cave.

In spite of his defeat, Dipper remained vigilant. He went back to his pacing from one place to another in search of the perfect spot. The grotto echoed with the constant sound of repetitive beeping, as the twelve year old would regain and lose the signal every few seconds. It became such an annoyance, that Wendy held her hands against her ears.

"DDDDIIIIIPPPPPPEEEEERRRRRR!" She whined. "That sound is so irritating! Just give it up already! It's not working!"

Dipper flew past Wendy, hopping up on the rock structure had held her foot in a death grip. He glanced down at the phone screen, noticing that the signal bar rose to two.

"Hang on! Hang on! Hang on!" Dipper stuck his hand out with index finger raised as he hit the redial and held the phone against his head. "Pick up! Pick up! Pick up!"

An unforgettable high-pitched voice answered the other end amid a large amount of static interference, "Hey-ya, Wen-Wen! We were *BUZZ* where you guys *BUZZ* – "

"Mabel, it's me!" Dipper interrupted. "We need your help!"

"Dipper? Where are *BUZZ*? Grunkle Stan is pretty *BUZZ* at you two!"

"Mabel, just listen for a second? Wendy and I went exploring in a grotto by the beach when I accidentally caused a cave-in."

"That's *BUZZ*! Are *BUZZ* okay?"

"For the most part, yeah…" He looked back at Wendy, who hung on his every word in wait for her rescue. "Wendy pushed me out of the way and now, she's stuck in the rocks! I can't get her out!"

"Dipper, that's *BUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!* What are you *BUUUUUUZZZZZ*?

"Mabel? I can't – " He jumped off the boulders and headed in the opposite direction. "I can't hear you!" He shouted even louder in the receiver, "Listen, we need you to find Soos and bring him here!"

"Tell him it's "the secret beach!" Wendy chirped in. "He knows where this place is!"

"Yeah," Dipper nodded. "Wendy says we're at "the secret beach;" that Soos knows where it is…"

"Okay, Dipper, I'll try to *BUZZZZZZZZZZZ!. You guys just *BBBBBBBBUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZ* Mabel's on the *BBBBBBBBUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZ*!"

"Mabel?" Dipper walked on as he went on further to regain a clearer connection. "Mabel, can you hear – OWWWWWWWWWWW!"

As Dipper stepped forward, he felt something pierce the bottom of his foot. Pain swelled from his leg all throughout his entire body. In reflex, the cell phone slipped from his fingertips and into the water. "Oh no! No! No!" He immediately threw his arm into the darkness in search of Wendy's phone. "Where is it? Where is it?"

After a few endless-seeming moments, Dipper came across the solid object amiss the liquid puzzle and pulled it out. The LED screen, while thankfully still active, now displayed a new message: "CALL DISCONNECTED – PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER."

The clumsy kid lowered his head in shame. He put the semi-wet phone back in his pocket, fearing that any current use would risk permanently frying it's circuits. Each step back towards Wendy made Dipper wince, finally prompting him to check out the collateral damage.

He held his hand against the rocky wall for balance, and bent his leg upwards. Dipper groaned as he noticed a puncture hole the size of a nickel between the base of his big toe and the ball of his foot. Sticky red blood trailed down his sole and dripped into the murky flow below.

"What in the heck? What'd I step on?"

Dipper looked over his shoulder, a few paces away, to see the decaying mysterious corpse that had added to his paranoia while in the pit; its pointed bones aimed upwards like a cryptic snare trap. The child shuddered as he lowered his foot back in the water, "EW! I really, really hope that thing isn't diseased…"

He limped back towards Wendy, who greeted him at first sight. "Did she hear you? Were you able to get through?"

"Ehhh…" Dipper shrugged. "Kinda; I couldn't hear her, but I think she heard me. I slipped back there and the phone disconnected…"

Wendy lowered her head back on her makeshift backpack/pillow. "So, there's nothing left to do but wait, right?"

Dipper slumped down next to his not-so-secret love, happy to be able to take some pressure off of his injured foot. "I…guess so…" He put his head down onto his knees to rest for a moment.

Seeing the absolute exhaustion and fatigue stemming from her devotee, Wendy could only smile. Despite of all the setbacks and impediments that had plagued them throughout this misadventure, the ginger marveled at the energy and moxie that her would-be-rescuer put forth in her name. Granted, he lacked the required strength to free her, but at the same time, leapt to his feet when it came to maintaining her safety or following her command to make things more comfortable.

Shifting her shoulders a bit, Wendy leaned closer to her pal and playfully gave him a swift slug on his shoulder, "Hey…"

Dipper recoiled at her touch, looking around in worry, "Wha – are you alright? Did something happen?"

"No, no…" Wendy waved her hand in dismal. "Everything's cool." She rolled her eyes as Dipper resumed his crouched positioning. "I just wanted to know if we're still on for movie night tonight?"

Dipper raised his head and gawked at his crush in near-disbelief, "W-What?" He was left almost dumbfounded by her question. Wendy was speaking totally free of doubt and uncertainty, almost like she knew her liberation from the trap was guaranteed.

"You know," the high-schooler went on, "I was thinking this time, we can watch one of those old-timey kung fu movies; with the funny-looking dubbing where the voices don't match the actors' mouths?"

"Really?" Dipper questioned. "I mean, their karate moves are cool, but the voices are so annoying! They never fit the right tone. Half of the heroes sound like middle-aged women!"

"Oh, c'mon," Wendy argued with a chuckle. "It would be a lot better than your choice last time."

"And what was wrong with that? It was a bit cheesy, yeah, but it's a classic."

"Dude, you were in tears before they ran the credits! As soon as the guy and girl found each other, you were totally gone…"

"You were crying, too, Wendy! You tried to hide it, but I saw you getting watery-eyed…"

"You did not! And besides, no one would believe you if you say anything…"

The duo shared a much-needed laugh. Wendy's plan was working. The more she made small-talk with Dipper, the more she took him away from the depressing scene. Both adolescents were in need of a dire escape, but in different ways.

While the kind of help Wendy required was still miles away, she was more than happy to help relieve the stress that clung on to her little tagalong.

"But speaking of," she persisted in her ruse, "I think I have a couple of bucks hidden away back home. How does a pepperoni pizza sound?"

"Hmm…" Dipper knew what she was hinting at. "That depends. Are you to try to add anchovies to it again?"

"What? Who, me?" Wendy held a hand against her chest in an innocent fashion, "Never!" A firm glance from Dipper made her cop up her true intentions. "Well, maybe. I mean, you have to live a little! Not be afraid to try new things…"

Having the exact thought, Wendy and Dipper glimpsed at the blockage pinning her leg down before returning to one another.

"Okay, _that doesn't count_. And we're talking way smaller-scale here. I mean, you can't get hurt from taking a bite from a salty, somewhat bony fish." She took a break, "On second thought – scratch that for a second – you aren't allergic to seafood, are you?"

Dipper shook his head.

"Good. So, like I said before: it definitely won't kill you…"

*RUMBLE!*

Their conversation was interrupted as the soft ground started to shake beneath their bottoms. Dipper rose to his feet while Wendy sat up as far as her body was allowed to.

"Dipper, what is that?"

He turned from Wendy, watching over the watery horizon in search of what was creating the vibrations.

"I'm…I don't know…"

The flow on the other end of the ravine, near the abandoned, spiky remains, started to bubble. As the seconds passed, more and more air pockets began to rise to the water's surface.

"What's with the bubbles?" Wendy asked, as she strained to turn her body around as much as possible to gain a better view. "Some kind of underground volcano or something?"

"No…" Dipper corrected. "The temperature's not changing at all." Deep down, the juvenile sleuth knew what was happening – it was what he predicted earlier on. "Something's coming from the ground…"

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

In the distance, the young adults watched as faded red objects rose up from the muck. At first, only two appeared amiss the sludge. Three more joined the group moments later. And another two after that.

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

When the final count was taken, over a dozen creatures had emerged from the dirt. Their beady black eyes rested upon outstretched stalks that surveyed their new surroundings. Razor-tipped teeth stuck out of crooked jaw lines, mashing endless upon one another. Several lengthy feelers waved and wiggled about, analyzing the pathway to their next course of action.

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

The basketball sized monsters crawled forward, each using the eight thin armored orange legs that poked out of a hardened brick red jagged shell. Dipper studied their movements; the ways they traveled like insects as it reminded him of a previous find.

 _"Wait…those legs. They're super slender, like the tracks outside…"_

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

The noisy clicking that now boomed throughout the chamber was created by countless pinchers snapping open and shut in a threatening matter as their owners marched on in near-perfect formation.

"What are those things?" Wendy's face fell at the sight of the ghastly creatures.

"I think they're crabs?" Dipper took a shot at making a scientific estimation.

"Crabs don't look like that! Crabs are itty-bitty! You know; able to fit in cooking pots and stuff? Go awesome with lemon and butter? That sorta thing?"

"Maybe they're mutants or something like that. This is Gravity Falls, after all…"

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

The distorted crustaceans made their way in a colossal sized sweep of the chasm towards the small corner where Wendy and Dipper were forced to make camp.

"They're coming this way!" Dipper exclaimed, backing himself against the wall.

"But why now?" Wendy asked aloud. She thought of all the times they had laughed or yelled while in the ravine. "Were we too loud or something? Did we wake them up?"

"I'm not sure, but…" Dipper glimpsed downward as something off caught his eye. A thin, red stream circled around his foot, traveling down the water flow towards their new crusty adversaries.

 _"Oh, man. It's me…"_

"Huh?" Wendy turned her head back as Dipper hopped up on a close by rock pile, making sure to keep himself out of the water. "What are you talking about?"

"It's my fault, Wendy." Dipper elaborated. "They're attracted to the blood coming from my foot. That's what they're looking for."

"Whoa…" Wendy saw the trickle of plasma dripping down the rocks Dipper stood up. "When did that happen?"

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

Dipper spun back towards the invaders, "I cut myself when I stepped on that torn-apart corpse back there…"

Wendy instantaneously lit up. She threw her hands together and crossed them like a referee. "TIME OUT! _What torn-apart corpse?_ "

"Uhh…" Dipper switched his sights back and forth between the approaching crab-monsters and his ticked-off companion. "Can't we talk about this later? When we're not about to be pinched apart piece-by-piece?"

Suddenly, the sea fiends stopped for a brief moment. With Dipper's blood trail all but gone, they took a second to find the next, closest goal…

…that being the snagged pale-skinned girl drenched by the same blood-laced waters that they previously used as a guide.

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

Finding herself surrounded, Wendy raised her head and shouted, "DIPPER!"

"OH NO! WENDY!"

In all of his fear and excitement, Dipper had almost forgotten that she was unable to make a speedy getaway as he did. While he scanned the area for a possible battle weapon, Wendy took Dipper's multi-tool out of her pocket and speedily jabbed it into the face of the nearest, snarling crab. It cried out in agony, before keeling over into the brook.

Enraged by their comrade's death, the malformed crabs re-doubled their efforts. They went after the teenaged murderer from every angle, leaving her only the dull blade in her hand as defense.

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

"DIPPER!"

Seeing an opening, Dipper raced from his mount and headed towards one of the torches he set into the ground. With a loud groan, the small pre-teen yanked the stick upwards, and held it tightly between his hands.

As Wendy's knife wrestled in between a set of killer claws, Dipper dashed to the save, thrusting the flaming end into the crab's side. It flew against the gravel wall with a yelp, before falling back in the water.

Pointing the fire towards the ground, Dipper used his body as a barrier between the hive of giant sealife and Wendy. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Despite the effort to protect his main squeeze, the crabs continued the rally towards their next meal.

"Dipper!"

He looked behind his back as Wendy tried to instruct him, "Swipe at them!"

"What do you mean?"

She used her arms to give an example, "Like a sword! Swipe at them with the torch!"

"Oh, okay!"

Dipper followed Wendy's demonstration, using the flame to swing at the massive hoard, bringing their advanced to a stand-still. Every few blows, he would get lucky and actually make contact with one of the crabs, forcing said freakish being into a hasty retreat.

"It's working!"

"Great, buddy." Wendy praised as she fought off a sneaky predator that attempted to lounge at her from the other side of the spectrum. "Keep it up!"

*R-R-ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!*

An ear-deafening roar rocked the grotto, bringing the actions of both human and monster to a freeze. As if commanded by a higher power, the remaining crabs backed away from Dipper and Wendy, only to exit the scene by burrowing into the gooey earth.

"They're…leaving?" Wendy was left puzzled by the sudden departure.

Dipper added, "Does that mean we've won?"

*ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!*

"I'm…gonna go with " _no_ "…"

They watched as another set of bursting bubbles materialized across from them. From the depths of the sodden hollow, came an enormous crab that reminded Dipper of the oversized beach ball Wendy had bopped him with earlier in the day. It let out another horrific howl as a disgusting amount of saliva dripped from its jaws. Two red eyes focused on the worn-out targets only yards away. It raised its colossal red claws in the air, waving them all around in an outraged fit.

"I think that's the "mama crab…" Dipper noted.

"And here I thought the babies were ugly enough. I can see they get their looks from her!"

*ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!*

Unlike the smaller crustaceans, the giant shellfish bolted towards Wendy. Dipper stepped in front of her with torch aimed at the mother crab. "Don't even think about it, creep-o! There's no way you're getting any closer – "

*SNAP!*

Before Dipper would react, the wild beast clipped the top of his torch, splintering the flaming tip into the water, where it vanished into a thin layer of smoke. He held the broken end of the stick to his face as the creature shrieked once more. It leapt from the water onto Dipper's mid section, catching him off guard and down into the depths.

*ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!*

With the stick knocked away, Dipper held up his hands and wrapped them around the mother crab's, trying to prevent its mighty pinchers from penetrating his soft, hairless flesh.

"DIPPER!" Wendy lounged towards her smaller charge out of pure protective instinct, only to be ankle tackled at the last second. She kicked at the mound holding her other foot within its grasp, realizing that even in this calamitous time, no additional slack would be given.

Dipper grunted and pushed his noodle arms further as the gigantic crab put more of its weight on top of the much smaller youngster. He cried out as its many legs dug deep into his ribcage when the beast tried to secure a better position on top of its prey.

Wendy felt helpless as she watched Dipper tussle against the freak of nature, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before it overpowered him. "What to do? What to do?" With her leg pinned, there was no way for her to reach her buddy-in-distress. Her emerald eyes scanned the scene for an answer – finding the destroyed torch a few feet away from her resting place.

Every few seconds, a random pincher would escape Dipper's grasp and jab at his head, only for him to dodge away at the last moment. At the same time, Wendy drew her lanky body outwards as much as was physically allowed, as she attempted to pull at the wooden stick with her fingertips.

"C'mon…C'mon…"

The crab climbed closer on top of Dipper, where it held one of his arms fully down. Its heavy, rancid breath made him want to retch, forcing him to turn away from the threat at hand. He shoved against the brute with his free palm, finding it to have little effect against it. With a livid screech, it raised a pointed claw into the air, ready to deliver the finishing blow. Dipper closed his eyes and prepared himself for the end…

*CRUNCH!*

*EEEE-C-H!*

Dipper opened his eyes an instant later, finding himself unharmed. He gazed up at his newest nemesis, finding it motionless and somehow, almost hovering over his body. A warming sensation filled his chest, prompting him to look down.

A fine wooded point poked out of its bottom, allowing a mixture of the crab's liquid innards to ooze down into his shirt. Dipper traced the killing blow, seeing that the branch he had once used as a torch had broken through the shell on its back. As soon as he seen the pasty-skinned hand gripping the weapon, he automatically knew whom his liberator was.

Wendy didn't as much as blink as she delivered the fatal strike against the murderous animal menacing her boy. She took deep breath after deep breath, watching the crab for any signs of life, ensuring Dipper's safety before relaxing her over-tensed body. The fifteen year old set her neck against her backpack turned pillow as she stared blankly at the top of the cavern.

With his last ounce of strength, Dipper threw the carcass off of his body, turning his sights to the sky as he attempted to regain his breath. After a few minutes, the partners in crime glanced towards one another; Dipper's soft brown eyes blended into Wendy's bright green ones. Their breaths soon shared the same wavelength. There were no "Thank you's" or "Congratulation's" to be had between the two. Such words were not needed, as each already knew what was on the other's mind.

Once she caught herself, Wendy lifted her shoulders and motioned for Dipper, "C-Come here…"

Dipper rose from the water and moved on his knees towards Wendy's side. She fully sat up and threw her right arm around his battered form. The copper-haired teen overlooked her pal from top to bottom. "Did it hurt you?"

"N-No…" Dipper answered. "You stopped it before it could. Are you okay?" He could see a number of nicks and cuts across her arms and legs. Her ruined tank top was torn and ripped in several places.

"They got me a few times, but I'll live…" Wendy moved her hand against the back of Dipper's head and moved him closer, essentially bringing them nose to nose. "Dipper, I don't know why you didn't say anything about that bone thing before. Maybe you didn't think it was a big deal, or perhaps you thought that you'd freak me out – "

"Wendy, I – "

"Let me finish, okay?"

Dipper slightly nodded, hanging on Wendy's every word. Her tone was unlike anything he had heard from her before. It was devoid of her usual sarcastic wit or any well-deserved anger, instead having a sense of firmness, calm, and gravity that reminded him of his mother or teachers back home.

"Whatever the reason was," she continued, "That has to end _now_. This is the real deal, Dipper; where one screw-up can cost us big time. You have to be my eyes and ears while I'm stuck like this. And it's like I said before this mess started: _we're a team_ , kiddo, and for that, there can't be any more secrets between us. Especially when it can grow into a matter of life and death! Do you understand?"

Dipper shook his head once more, "Got it, Wendy. It won't happen again. I promise…"

"Thanks, Dip." Wendy finally cracked a smirk, which gave Dipper a sense of relief. "I knew I could count – "

*KRAK!*

A thunderous crash nearly shook the entire ravine, immediately sending the two explorers into high alert.

Dipper asked, "What was that?"

Wendy returned the same panicked expression, "I – I have no idea…"

*KRAK!*

Upon hearing the second blow, Dipper stood up. "No…" A horrible thought crept from the back of his mind. He rushed to the cliffside, "No! No! No!"

"Dipper?" Wendy started to feel a tightness growing in her chest as her friend went into a frenzy. "What's wrong?"

"I – " He started to scale the pit's wall yet again. "I have to check something really fast. Be back in a second…"

"Uh-Uh!" Wendy yelled. "Wait a sec, Dipper! Did you forget the conversation we _just_ had?! Now, you tell me what's going on!"

He turned away from the wall, as guilt started to weigh him down, "I know! I know! But you don't understand! If I don't go now, it may be too late!"

"Dipper, wait!"

The boy peeked his head over the edge as a startling sight caught him by surprise, "Ah, sh – "

Wendy watched in horror as a humongous wave of water violently crashed into Dipper, knocking him off his footholds and back into the depths of the ravine. "Dipper?! DIPPER!" An endless amount of water followed him down, adding to the previously modest amount that currently surrounded her.

"DIPPER?!"

*COUGH, COUGH*

Dipper came up from the pool, and tilted his head forward, forcing himself to cough to empty his airway. He waded through the ever-increasing waters to reach his crush.

"Dipper, are you okay?"

He rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I think so. The mud cushioned my fall for the most part…"

"What happened up there? Did your barricade break?"

The detective took a deep breath, remembering his promise to not to sugarcoat any future problems. "It's a lot worse than that…"

"W-What do you mean?"

"That "cracking" sound I heard?" he began to confess. " _It was lightning, Wendy. There is a storm coming, and the rainfall's heading down this way!_ "


	5. Chapter 5

Wendy and Dipper could do nothing but look on powerlessly as the grotto began to fill again, with each adventurer growing more terrified with every passing second. The once-gentle stream that poured into the ravine was now a raging, unrelenting current that promptly flooded the chamber.

Even worse, the duo raised their sights to the sky as it appeared that the cave had begun to rain from the inside. Countless drips of freezing precipitation oozing from the tempest outside squeezed from between the cracks of the ceiling and its many stalagmites onto the friends.

The super-tall ginger rose up to her limit, as the blockage holding her captive pinched her leg tightly as a reminder. Wendy gasped loudly as the dark liquid grew around her, making her twist her head about in shock. Within seconds, the water rose back up past her scrapped thighs.

"Uhh!" Wendy tossed her head back in disgust. "It figures: the one time – _the one time_ I forget to bring my hatchet, and now, I need it more than ever…"

Baffled by her off-the-collar remark, Dipper lowered his gaze, "What do you – " He paused as the intention struck him, making his face twist in disgust, "Wendy, you don't really mean that, do you?"

"Well, we're kinda running out of options, aren't we?!" Her tone switched mid-sentence from angered to panicked. The combination of the cave-shower mixed with the flood coming from the beach left each adolescent completely soaked and chilled. Their hair clung to the back of their necks and heads. Their ruined clothing was turned sticky and ripped due to the day's unpleasant events. Both pairs of hands and feet were growing numb part in thanks to the water's temperature becoming more frigid with every passing moment.

Wendy turned away from her injured pal and let out a blow of air to try to regain some self-control. "Dipper, I didn't – "

As she faced Dipper, the ingenious boy was already in motion. He drove his noodle arms into the ravine, only to return a moment later with the still-solid torch. Its once-mighty flame that had previously given them light was extinguished due to the recycled rainfall.

Going by pure instinct, Dipper raced towards the obstruction holding Wendy's foot and forced the branch deep within the numerous boulders. Once the stick was firmly planned within, the little rescuer gripped the top with both hands, throwing all of his weight down upon it.

"Eeggghhh!" Dipper grunted as his feet dangled off the muddy floor. "Eeggghhh!"

"Mmmpphh!"

Another cry came from behind as Dipper felt something tug hard on his back side. He turned around to see Wendy holding him in a death grip.

"Keep going!" Wendy said. "On 3…2…1…"

Both Dipper and Wendy yanked down as hard as they could, groaning as they used their combined weight to try to pry the stones from their set formation. All of a sudden, the lumberjane started to finally feel some relief on her ped.

"H-Hold up!" Her voice almost broke as the surprise hit her. "It's starting to move!"

The friends continued to put more pressure on the branch, hoping to widen the opening just enough for Wendy to slide though…

*CRACK!*

"AAAHHH!"

Wendy cried out in pain as the rocks dropped into her foot. She fell back into the still-growing waters, forcing herself up above the surface by placing her palms against the cave's bottom. The current was now at the same level as her skinned knees.

"Wendy!" Dipper's nerves hit the roof upon hearing the sound, fearing that they might have shattered her frail joint like glass. An even worse truth was revealed as his eyes focused back on the pry clasped in between his hands. It had been broken into two smaller pieces; neither of which would serve as a proper replacement.

"Oh…" The smaller child let the damaged wood slip from his fingers.

"…no…" Wendy breathed loudly as the familiar sense of gloom returned with a vengeance.

"No…no…" Dipper began to pace in disbelief, his shortened legs sloshing through the stream, "It had to do _something_ …"

"Dipper…"

Yet again, he threw himself onto the rock pile and dug around in hopes of a new break or part – something; anything that could be shown as progress being made towards Wendy's freedom.

"Dipper…" Wendy's voice broke as she called to him a second time, not because of her own doomed fate, but by merely watching her attempted hero become more manic with every defeat.

He spun around with moisture surrounding his brown eyes, _"It had to do something! It just had to!"_

Dipper returned to the site of the blockade, the very same that held his main squeeze prisoner, and went on fighting against the dark waves in order to find sort of escape. His scientific-based logic simply couldn't accept the reality of the situation.

This was far from the first time they had experienced some type of peril while adventuring, _but there had always been a way out_. Ropes could be untied or cut off. Shackles could be unchained using the proper key or removed with the right lock pick. But this was of another nature that he couldn't understand. There was no rhyme or reason to be found there.

In Dipper's eyes, it was as if the earth itself had reached up and grasped Wendy's ankle in a near-unbreakable grip and refused to let go. It couldn't be argued or pleaded with – that the unsympathetic and cruel force of nature could care less of the consequences of what came with such an action, even if it cost Wendy her life.

He silently sniveled, ignoring the pain as his fingers became stubbed or jammed in search of the separation he had spotted before, knowing that even the smallest bit of slack found would make a world of difference. After several desperate attempts, Dipper sat back in defeat, concluding that the small space they had mustered open together had vanished back into place.

Wendy looked down her chest as the waterline climbed pass her navel. Her pants became more frequent as her lower body grew numb. With her own deadly plight staring her down, she couldn't take her sights off of her trounced admirer. Wendy found herself asking how she ended up in such a predicament. Was it karma getting even for all of the nasty pranks and tricks she did over the years? Was it an ironic punishment for leading such a carefree and casual life, to which her luck ran out now?

Either way, the kind-hearted teen made her choice on one matter: regardless of what would happen to her next, Dipper didn't deserve to share such a fate. _She would make sure of it._

"D-D-Dipper?" Wendy fought to keep her teeth from chattering involuntarily.

Upon hearing his name, Dipper pulled himself off the rocks and hurried back towards Wendy's front. She raised her hand and gripped his shoulder gently.

"Do – Do me a favor, okay?"

As he bobbed his head, Wendy took another deep breath, knowing that she had to maintain her composure. He couldn't notice the tears forming in her emerald eyes. She had to keep her voice firm and confident to convince Dipper that she knew what she was doing. He couldn't know that this would be the last time that he would see her alive.

"This is what I need you to do, Dip…" She pointed at the top of the cliff with her free hand. "I want you to go back up to the beach and keep watch…"

"What?! But – "

"No buts…" Wendy remained cool, going as far as to flash a forced, confident grin across her freckled face. "It's like what you said, remember? Soos and Mabel are going to be here any sec. How else are they going to find us? You need to bring them down here to me, okay?"

She watched as Dipper's expression changed from outraged to confounded. Her plan was working. This would be his last memory of her: smiling, cheering him on, and giving him that extra boost to make him believe he could do anything – _it was everything that she'd hope for her sensitive companion_. He would miss her last moments, when the remainder of resilience would be sapped away, leaving Wendy a terrified and blubbering mess as she was hurled into the throes of death.

"No!"

"What do you mean, "no"?"

Dipper threw his arms out, "You know I can't just up and go like that…"

Wendy argued back, poking the stubborn boy in his stout chest, "But what about what we agreed, huh? You promised me you'd listen, kid!"

"I don't care! I'm not doing it!"

The flow was nearing Wendy's shoulders, "You have to do this for me!"

"Would you leave me if everything was reversed?"

"You know I wouldn't! But this is different!"

"This isn't what you meant before, and you know it!"

"Dipper, please!"

"I won't – "

"Damn it, will you just listen?! I don't want you to watch me drown - *GASP!*

Wendy was caught unaware as the flooding scaled below her chin. In her shock, her palms slipped on the slick soil, making her sink beneath the surface.

"NO!"

Before she became completely submerged, Wendy felt herself being held up at the last moment. She looked to her side to see that Dipper had maneuvered beneath her gangly form, sacrificing himself as her prop-pillow. While his support definitely helped her battered body stay in a sitting position against the strong current, she knew that it wouldn't last forever.

Wendy pointed her head upwards, trying her best to keep her mouth away from the flow as she heard mumblings coming from her left side.

"I…did this…it's all because of me…"

She gazed across to see Dipper staring at the ground, his grip around her never faltering in the slightest, and yet, he silently sobbed to himself.

"Hey…"

Wendy tried to look Dipper in the eyes while attempting to remain above the water, knowing that this could possibly be the last thing she could get to tell her loyal cohort. She placed her hand on top of his left holding her front.

" _This is not on you_ , okay?" Wendy started. "This is more like, the world's way of getting even for all of the crap I pulled and got away with. You can't cheat fate forever…"

"But – Wendy,"

"Listen," she rubbed his shaking hand with her thumb, biting her lip to control her own spontaneous tears, "Things look super-bad right now, but I swear to you, Dipper. You're going to be alright. _Things are going to be alright_. Just – don't give up on life because of this – _or me_ , okay? The best thing you can ever do for me is to keep being "Dipper.""

"Wendy…" His sights grew blurry from her heartfelt good-bye, "You know, I – I love –"

"I know." She finished his sentence for him, not wanting Dipper to tax himself any further, "And you know I - *GURGLE!*

Dipper hopped back as the unthinkable had finally happened. The water level moved past Wendy's mouth, completely silencing her voice, save for escaping air bubbles. Her nose tilted upwards was her last resort for fresh air – and that, too would be covered within mere moments.

He searched the ravine to try to any way to save Wendy. His vision switched back and forth between the reaching, hazy darkness surrounded by the double downpour, and the pair of bright green eyes sticking out of the pond. "There's got to be something…"

A strange solution came to pass. At first, Dipper dismissed it, labeling it as something crazy that he had seen on TV. But when no other ideas came forth, he took a step forward and breathed deep. Wendy watched her friend's every moment with puzzled anticipation as the liquid went over her nostrils.

"Wendy…" The smaller detective bent over, "Please don't hate me for this…"

Before Wendy knew what was happening, Dipper ducked into the water and pressed his mouth over hers. Her emerald eyes grew larger as their lips met beneath the deluge. She was stunned by the action; while thinking it was most unquestionably the wrong place and time, Wendy couldn't help being touched by her devotee's farewell gift…

…until she felt him blow against her still-closed mouth.

"Hmm?" At first, Wendy felt bad for Dipper, chalking the awkward kiss up to his lack of experience. It was only when she saw him rise up and take another deep breath did she begin to understand.

"Oh…Oh!"

Dipper returned beneath the surface and sealed his lips against Wendy's, releasing another pocket of air. Wendy inhaled the recycled air, her body thankful for the small bits of oxygen given. Going into a set rhythm, he repeatedly delivered as much air to his trapped crush as possible.

After countless rescue breaths, Wendy noticed that something wasn't right. Dipper's face was changing colors. As he lowered himself for another refresher, he let off a series of jagged coughs while giving out his last gulp. He bowed over and gagged into his hands as he struggled to catch his breath.

"He can't keep doing this forever," she understood. "Otherwise, he's gonna wind up killing himself…"

Dipper opened his eyes, and gaped below the surface at Wendy. Even though they couldn't openly communicate, the simple exchanges of looks easily told the same message. He held out his index finger, signaling her, before taking the deepest breath ever. The small redeemer transferred the largest breath yet before pulling above the water.

With a nod, Dipper fled from the wedged girl, and climbed up the cliff's side, much to Wendy's alarm.

"He's…leaving…"

Before she knew what had happened, Dipper was already well out of sight. Her lungs flamed as they demanded new air. Her cheeks held on to the last iota of oxygen given. Despite the circumstances in before her, Wendy couldn't find a speck of anger towards her buddy; after all, this harsh reality was what she had wanted. She didn't want Dipper to always remember her as a bloated, lifeless corpse.

And yet, now that her demand was granted – that she was left by herself with her fate, Wendy found herself filled with regret. She argued against her protective nature – the same that looked over her own family, and now, the Pines clan, and wished that she didn't have to die alone.

The world swirled around her as light-headedness set in. She had trouble keeping her eyes open. The last of Wendy's air escaped through a series of bubbles that passed through her nose. Her body relaxed, sinking further into the depths. Her life flashed before her eyes, playing out memories of her loved ones and favorite pranks and exploits.

As Wendy could have sworn to sense a nearby splash, her mind replayed that of her most recent friend. She smiled, knowing how much she treasured and was meant to such an extraordinary person.

Suddenly, the auburn-haired beauty was sat upwards by a foreign hand. Something was pressed against her lips. Wendy opened her mouth, letting out a few random gags, finding that she could once again inhale air; sweet, pure, clean oxygen!

"But how?"

Wendy opened her eyes to see Dipper standing over her on the other side of the surface. The water was now up to his shoulders. She checked the area around her, finding that he placed a leg against her back to keep her from falling down.

Her fingertips followed along her new air source, finding it all-too-familiar.

"The bamboo sticks!" The teenager finally understood. Dipper didn't abandon her to her death. He took the thick reeds planted outside of the beachside cave and linked them together. Using the hollowed tubes as a substitute snorkel, Wendy's head was gently guided back, so that the tip of the chain would remain over the pool's surface.

"I can't believe it," the astonished cashier thought. She recalled that Dipper had seen this ninja-survival tactic during one of her "lame" kung-fu movie marathons. "He did pay attention…"

Wendy could make out a blurred version of her defender as he helped her guide the breathing cylinder. He slipped his free hand into her right one and squeezed; a small gesture to signal that he was there for her.

Within all of the madness, Wendy regained a new calm with Dipper at her side. She wrung his hand back, letting him know she appreciated his efforts as always.

All of a sudden, she made out a loud noise coming from above water. At first, Wendy thought it was more thunder as the storm increased its hold on the secret beach. It was only as she saw Dipper moving that it was him shouting to the heavens.

"HERE!" His squeaky voice was muffled from beneath the grotto, "WE'RE HERE!"

*SPLASH!*

A huge force shook the rising tide, almost to the point of knocking the bamboo tubes out of Dipper and Wendy's hands. A few moments later, she noticed something fumbling about by her lodged ankle. The pressure produced by the numerous rocks seemed to get lighter until finally, it became a gentle numbness.

Two burly arms reached into the waters and wrapped themselves around her hips. Wendy was pulled out of the water and placed over someone's shoulder.

"You okay, Wendy-dude?"

The miasma among her fading, the girl looked to her left to see that she was hoisted onto Soos's shoulders. She could see Dipper gawking up at her with a sense of amazement and gratitude, as if he had witnessed a miracle firsthand.

"Are they okay?!" Mabel looked over the edge of the cliff on her knees to make sure everyone was accounted for.

"I think so!" The heavy-set handyman shouted back, cupping his mouth with his hand. "We're coming up now!"

Soos guided Wendy onto his back so that he'd have both arms free. "Wrap around my neck and hang on tight. Things might get a bit bumpy."

With his secret love still partially lost in the daze, Dipper placed Wendy's hands across his co-worker's collar. Once she was secured, he hopped onto the cliff and pledged, "We're almost out. I'll be here by your side."

Despite being freed, Wendy still didn't feel right. She couldn't catch her breath. The exposure to the open air while Soos climbed actually made her colder than she was while stuck underwater.

"Wendy?" Dipper cocked his head to the right as he ascended the ridge.

The teen lowered her head on Soos's shoulder, her entire form fading away into the welcoming warmth of sleep.

"Wendy…?"

* * *

Later that night, the partners in crime were snuggled together on Stan's oversized recliner as movie night went on as promised. With a large blanket covering their bodies (as they couldn't shake the chill that followed them home), each had an injured foot placed on the ottoman before them; due in care of Mabel cleaning and bandaging their respective wounds. A played-out, low-quality karate film playing in the background, while a half-eaten pepperoni and anchovy pizza laid on the floor in a still-warm delivery box. The lid was closed in order to keep Waddles from sniffling about. Empty Pitt Cola cans surrounded the leftovers like small tin soldiers protecting a most valuable prize.

After being rescued, Dipper and Wendy were brought back to the Mystery Shack to warm up and tend to their various injuries. For the first hour of their freedom, both adolescents were savagely chewed out by Mr. Mystery himself for all of the mischief and worry they had caused throughout the day.

Once things cooled off a bit, Mabel rose to the occasion, electing herself to be the Shack's "temporary nurse." With a bit of adult supervision, the pixie concluded that Wendy's ankle was not broken, but luckily, just bruised. For this, "Nurse Mabel" recommended that the best medicine was to stay off her feet and spend the night – a decision that pleased her ever-so-concerned twin.

Even though she was watching one of her favorite flicks, Wendy's mind was elsewhere. She thought about all of the craziness that Dipper and her that to ensure all afternoon; of how many times that they had cheated death, most in part due to them watching out for one another. And yet, after everything was over with, they hadn't talked about what happened, almost pretending like things had been normal.

"Hey, Dipper?"

"Hmm?"

"Listen, things were totally messed up today. _I mean, more than usual_." Wendy paused for a moment, as heart-wrenching moments weren't exactly her forte. "But no matter what happened or how many times we argued about stupid stuff, I just wanted you to know how much it meant to be that you always had my back…"

Dipper remained speechless, allowing Wendy to move on.

"I mean, you must have said "thank you" a bajillion times today, and I…" She rubbed the back of her head, "Well, I'm saying it now. Thank you for listening to me, knowing when to not listen, and heck, everything you did for me in general…"

To her wonder, the child at her side let out a contented snore.

"Dip?"

Wendy peeked over to see that Dipper was fully asleep. He had contentedly nettled himself between her long red locks and right shoulder. A peaceful expression was plastered across his face as he mumbled in his sleep.

It was such a scene that Wendy wouldn't dare disturb. Upon seeing it, she realized that Dipper had received a greater reward that a mere "thank you." To him, _all that mattered was that she was still there with him._

"Ah, well. I tried…"

Being very careful not to wake him, Wendy moved her arm, placing it around his backside so he wouldn't be uncomfortable during the night. She pulled the quilt upwards, making sure that their tops were fully covered. Only their bare feet poked out of the cover.

Wendy took the remote from the armrest and turned the television's volume down to the lowest possible decimal. She leaned back into the chair, to which her aficionado adjusted his spot and griped her even tighter.

She let out a scoff, but gave in to the awkwardness. Figuring that he'd never know, Wendy slanted over and gave Dipper a tender kiss on his birthmarked forehead. She closed her eyes, with boy explorer in her hold, as she swiftly joined him in sleep, knowing that new, exciting adventures for them to share were only a new day away.

"G'night, kiddo. Sweet dreams…"

 _(June 17_ _th,_ _2016 – September 14_ _th,_ _2016)_


End file.
